Lost Aussie on the loose

Pointing South

Charlotte Skyline, NC.  Feb 2013
© Marie Otero 2013

Well FINALLY, after goodness knows how many weeks, months, we finally have a closing date on our house and I can heave a modicum of a sigh (of relief).

For no other reason other than it's time to move on.

From a 6500sq ft house into a 3000 sq ft one.  Trading living large for a spot on the lake and well, I am kind of done with a lot of the "stuff" that I have been carting around for well over 20 years and finding the process of "chuck it out if you haven't touched it in a while" to be quite cathartic.

My thanks to everyone who has sent emails and left blog comments of late.  I'm sorry to be a poor respondent but hope you understand I'm a 'tad' busy  and that you will bear with me as I make this transition.

Hurricane Leftovers

A lovely sunny day, if somewhat chilly (1C).  Perfect for a walk along the beach at Asharoken. 
The beachscape has changed mightily since the advent of hurricane Sandy and there were some interesting things washed up on the shore,  this rather large boat being one of them!
I can't even begin to imagine the force of nature that hauled this monster from the water as last time I visited, she was floating happily in the middle of the bay.

Getting Decorated

Our Christmas Tree is finally UP!  Some years, the years when the boys are not here I can barely drag a box of Christmas decorations out and feel all surly and sour about the whole "thing" .... but the times they are here I love to get our tree out and see it primped in all it's glory!!

A labour of love and a certain amount of pedantic perfection required.... so many strands of white lights in the middle, so many coloured ones on the outer branches.... I'm picky (ask David!)

But when it's up and done I savour it so.
Quite the hotch potch of ornaments as they all have a meaning and a memory attached.  Garnered from Kindergarten years to present day, and each year we add a new one.  This year it's a glassy whale from Anthropologie - to symbolise the shape of Long Island (a la Greenport Brewing Company).
Definitely not your average Home and Garden cover material, but I love it anyway.

Then there are 4 boxes of "decorations" for the house.  A collection of Santas (for him) and a collection of Snowmen (for her).

A little over the top perhaps, but when I first came to America I was mesmerised at all the wonderful and (inexpensive) decorations and quickly amassed and rather large collection.

Fortunately these days I limit myself to the one new ornament a year but I still enjoy unpacking the different bits that have been garnered over time and perphaps even more so this year as I have in my mind's eye a little photographic whooppee to make with the tableaus that I create....

Somehow I think the Snowmen will win and feature on the Christmas Card this year.... or perhaps the Santa......

What do you think?

Sunset on Long Island

DH and I finally managed a walk in Caumsett Park today.  All of the parks around here were closed for many days after the hurricane and it's only slowly that they are opening again.  So many downed and damaged trees and ruined boardwalks made many of them unsafe until significant clearing and repair had been done.  Even now, only the main walking path of Caumsett is open and the rest of the trails are still closed to the public.

On our way home we stopped at Lloyd Harbor Beach just as the sun was setting.  The colors tonight were absolutely glorious and fortunately I had brought my trusty tripod and ND filters with me and was able to take a bunch of long exposure shots.  The top one I think was around 3 mins and the bottom one 4 mins.  There was even a handy dandy fisherman standing atop the rocks at the cove to make quite the perfect silhouette.

I've definitely fallen in love with this "long exposure" thing.  It's quite the math game and a question of juggling camera settings versus available light and it becomes even trickier as the sun sets and the light changes second by second.  There's a lot more practising to be done to get the shot right every time but it's a lot of fun experimenting and it also requires LOADS of patience!

Color Filled Cleanup

It was a perfect Fall day today, clear, crisp, fluffy white clouds dancing across a lovely blue sky.  You would hardly have thought a thing was amiss were it not for the air filled with sounds of numerous chainsaws in the neighbourhood, churning away at cutting and clearing the fallen trees .

I spent a good few hours outdoors today raking and clearing and then cutting the last of the late Summer flowers - or shreds of!  It felt like I was being productive but in reality it was just taking the tip of the iceberg and we too will have to wait our turn for the clean up crew and their chainsaws to come and help us clear the rest.

I had in mind to take a few pix of some of the fall leaves with their lovely color but it was literally impossible to find a single one that was not tattered or torn.

Let there Be Light

After 4 days without power we now have electricity, heat, the ability to cook food, have a hot shower and some semblance of normality after Hurricane Sandy is returning, albeit slowly.

You still cannot get gas (petrol) and the odd few stations that have it, have queues miles long and waits of up to 3 hours to fill your tank.

Having said that, I do have a roof over my head, clothes to wear and food to eat which is much more than can be said of some of my friends in other areas around NY who have lost their homes, business facilities and are still a long way off from finding that place in life that we call "normal".

So I'll take a deep breath and count my blessings that the damage and mayhem is confined to downed trees and destruction about the house, but not on it or inside it.

Our thanks go out to all the service men and women who are working hard to get our neighbourhoods and lives back to normal, in particular the Melville Fire Department who came and cut away fallen trees from our street and driveway so that we could get "out"!

My thanks also to all of my online friends and family who have reached out either via FB, the blog or phone to check up on me.  I love you all and am so glad you are there and keeping us in your thoughts.

Some Light Relief While Waiting For Hurricane Sandy

The winds are swirling outside with increasing intensity, trees bending, leaves being swept in great piles against the house.....

Inside we await the arrival of Hurricane "Sandy" with torch batteries aplenty, candles and lamps ready.  Food is cooked.  The garden denuded of anything that can remotely fly at any stage.  Dh's guitars have all been stashed in the basement and "pertinent papers" are boxed and ready to head downstairs too. Knick knacks have been removed from window sills and quite a lot of furniture moved to less vulnerable spots in the house.  All phones charged, hard drives backed up and computer equipment ready to be unplugged and moved tomorrow if needs be.

So I'd say, bring it on.... but I really would rather not.

Whilst waiting for files to sync and what not I've been twidding with the odd pic or two snapped while in Germany last week.  In this case some photos of a really intruiging sculpture in Bernkastel depicting stories about the region and the wine making.... and of course concocting my own "photoshopped" version....

and in case you are interested, here are the SOOC images that I used ....

Here's hoping that all my friends here in the NE are staying warm, dry and safe while we endure the trials of Hurricane Sandy.

The Calm Before The Storm

Back on Long Island and getting ready to batten down the hatches in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy which according to all weather reports is going to be a doozy!

After a trip to the grocery store to stock up on appropriate supplies a long walk in the fresh air seemed like a good idea, exploring the fall colors and beauty of Bayard Cutting Arboretum.  A truly splendid spot and one that in a day or so's time might well look totally different and will no doubt suffer some flooding from storm surge as it sits right on the river, adjacent to the coast.

The trees have magically turned color in the week that I have been gone and are truly a magnificent sight. Luckily there were still a few blooms to be found here and there to attract the locals....

I capped the day off with a trip to the movies to see Cloud Atlas which was thoroughly compelling and quite the visual, as well as intellectual feast.  If you can bear to sit yourself down in a movie theatre for 3 good hours, then I highly recommend it!

Stretching Out On The Flat

...in other words, a Day at the Races....

Today I joined some 30 other photographers from one of my Long Island Meetup Groups for a trip to Belmont Park Racetrack.  The weather started out a bit "iffy" but despite a chilly start the rain staved off and the cloudy day meant a lot less nasty shadows.....

The track was also quite wet and muddy which leant itself to some interesting pictures.

A winning jockey, one raced and one ready to.....

The Stewards who make it all go round...

And then.... my favourite image of the day.....

Man and beast ... both just as dirty as each other and a race well run......

Oh yeah and the one bet I placed for the day, on a whim,  #3 in the 9th, Treasure Beach came in at 2:1 for a place.  Just a shame I only put $5 bucks on him instead of 100K!!  Otherwise I'd have been sleeping at the Plaza (or Waldorf) tonight!!

Fall Fun Out on Long Island

A fabulous day for a drive out to the east end of Long Island, meandering along the country road of the North Fork to Greenport where there was a massive Maritime Festival going on.

All the market gardens, vineyards and nurseries were jam packed with Harvest revellers, fields of ripe corn and pumpkins as far as the eye could see.

Greenport was jam packed too with people, market and food stalls, live music, boats of all shapes and sizes and a bunch of pirates putting on a dramatic show.